Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster

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Elizabeth de Burgh
Carrickfergus Castle, Elizabeth's birthplace
Countess of Ulster (suo jure) Duchess of Clarence
Predecessor	William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl
jure uxoris Earl	Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
Successor	Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess with Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March
Spouse	Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence m. 1352; wid. 1363
Issue
Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster
Father	William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster
Mother	Maud of Lancaster
Born	6 July 1332(1332-07-06) Carrickfergus Castle, County Antrim
Died	10 December 1363 (aged 31) Dublin, Ireland
Burial	Clare Priory, Suffolk

Elizabeth de Burgh, suo jure Countess of Ulster, Duchess of Clarence (6 July 1332 – 10 December 1363)

Elizabeth was the only child of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster and Maud of Lancaster. She was the last of the senior legitimate line of the descendants of William de Burgh.^[1] Her paternal grandparents were John de Burgh (1286- 18 June 1313) and Elizabeth de Clare (16 September 1295- 1360). Her maternal grandparents were Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster (1281- 25 March 1345) and Maud Chaworth (2 February 1282- 1322).

Upon William's murder on 6 June 1333 she became the sole legal heir to all the de Burgh lands in Ireland. Actually, her kinsmen Sir Edmond de Burgh of Clanwilliam, Sir Edmond Albanach Bourke, Mac William Iochtar, Sir Ulick Burke and Mac William Uachtar became the de facto heads of the family and owners of de Burgh land during the Burke Civil War 1333-38.^[1]

As Countess of Ulster she was raised in England and married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence on 15 August 1352 at the Tower of London. He was the second son of Edward III of England and his queen consort Philippa of Hainault.

The couple had one child, Philippa, born on 16 August 1355. Philippa, who succeeded as Countess of Ulster, married Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March in 1368. Both their titles passed to their son Roger Mortimer, and eventually through their grand-daughter Anne de Mortimer, who married into the House of York. The House of York would base its claim to the English throne on their descent from Lionel of Antwerp.

Elizabeth died in Dublin in 1363 during her husband's term as Governor of Ireland. She is buried in Clare Priory, Suffolk, England.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Curtis, Edmund (2004) [1950]. A History of Ireland (6th ed. ed.). New York: Routledge. pp. 91–92. ISBN 0-415-27949-6. 

Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl	Countess of Ulster with Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence 1333–1363	Succeeded by Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess with Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March